John Skaggs

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since Sep 21, 2010
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Boondock, KY
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Recent posts by John Skaggs

Have tried some companion plantings.  Nasturtiums had no perceptible reduction in hornworms.  We tried wormwood in pots -it sort of goes crazy otherwise- last year and had hardly a worm.  Don't know whether to chalk this up to luck or  effectiveness, but I'm trying it again this year -though I lost a bunch of my potted wormwood through neglect.  Starting over with some small cuttings now.
Fingers crossed.  
2 years ago
I can't do wheat and so have made lots of bready things out of legume flours.  In general though, they tend to make a very gloppy batter/dough with no cohesion of gluten and so are limited to flat-ish breads like pitas, pancakes, croquettes, -OR if you're ok with the use of a microwave, muffins, cakes and other quickbreads can be achieved through that method of heating.  Otherwise they are unlikely ever to get properly done in the middle.  And you for sure want legumes properly cooked.  Chana dal cornbread/corn muffin/fishcakes are indistinguishable from the real thing.  Red lentils are easy to grind and work well for muffins and cakes.
2 years ago
To update my entry about germination above, at 2 years, some of these trees are nearing 15 ft tall now. Had a few I planted die back to roots over winter, though most sprang back and are now growing vigorously again.  Will post some photos when it quits raining.  They respond well to lots of nitrogen -chicken manure- that might burn other trees cause them to shoot out of the ground.  
2 years ago

Anna Merkwelt wrote:

Mike Creuzer wrote:I bought a place 72 miles due east of Lexington in Elliot County. 66 acres according to the taxes, about 4 of which are weeds, the rest trees. Small house in good shape, big garage.


Always looking for ideas, local seeds and cuttings.



...Elliott County?  That makes us neighbors.  Howdy!  I might be able to help if you're still in need/want of seeds and such.  
Feel free to get in touch, I'm always happy to meet plant people and other weirdos.



Hey neighbors!  We're just over here in Lawrence County.  Also down to trade seed/starts/trees/etc.  
2 years ago

Amy Gardener wrote:



Those were great!  Would not likely eat them today, but they had a very distinctive flavor I associate with a particular time.
2 years ago
If it's not already on your list, WMMT in Whitesburg, KY has long been a vibrant and engaged community/regional radio station.  Part of the Appalshop media collective.

WMMT.org

Though the pandemic has hit Appalachia hard, and has lately impaired volunteer programmer participation.  

I hosted The Morel Majority program there for several years -though Whitesburg is quite a drive for me.  It's a special place.  

What is the aim of your list?
2 years ago

Jan White wrote:

How well does your zojirushi retain heat? I opted for a thermos because the reviews I read of thermal cookers said they only retained real heat for 7-8 hours or so. Stuff in my 2L thermos is still too hot to touch 24 hours later - if it's full. Partially full loses heat quicker.



It's pretty efficient. Though not quite as insulating as a Stanley thermos flask.  The lid is where I reckon it looses some heat -being of a largish area and not vacuum-insulated.  But it works plenty well to cook a meal overnight and still be hot in the morning.  Especially if full -more thermal mass.
2 years ago
Would often cook cereals like barley in a wide-mouth Stanley thermos.  Many years back invested in an actual thermo-cooker made by Zojirushi for efficient cooking of larger volumes.  It's great for stews and soups.  It has an internal pot you heat on the stove then slide it into a vacuum-insulated sleeve once it's up to temp.  Works great if I can plan ahead at breakfast to throw some stuff in the pot for dinner -or overnight for tomorrow's lunch.
2 years ago
Composting toilet?  Off-grid could mean lots of things.  If you are stationary or have a location to have a hot compost pile  -or at least will be someplace advisable to start one before long, a Jenkins-style bucket commode might work.  
There are also other commercial models that probably generate less mass.  
3 years ago
An old manual typewriter is my postal correspondence tool of choice -my penmanship often being illegible.  

Check your thrift stores now and then, I've got lucky and picked up a couple well-preserved machines for a song.  Vintage ribbons can be found online -Ebay has been where I've got them, or else wound ribbon on old spools.  Hard, shrunken platens can sometimes be padded out by loading an extra sheet or two of thick paper.  Beware of oiling old machines to free the actions.  It tends to gum them worse in the long run.  A thorough cleaning is best.  Sometimes naptha is carefully used.  
3 years ago